Straw-cutter



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' JOHN TOPFER, OF BROOKLYN, NEWV YORK.

STRAW-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 404,130, dated May 28,1889.

Application filed November 20, 1888- Serial No. 291,332. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that 1, JOHN ToPFER, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings andState of New York, have invented a new and Improved Straw Cutter, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedstraw-cutter which is simple and-durable in construction and Veryeffective in operation, feeding the straw automatically and holding itin place during the cutting.

The invention consists in certain parts and details and combinations ofthe same, as will be fully described hereinafter, and then pointed outin the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan View of the improvement, with parts in section. Fig.2 is a sectional side elevation of the same on the line a: a: of Fig. 1,and Fig. 3 is a front View of part of the same.

The improved straw-cutter is provided with a main frame, A, on which ismounted the longitudinally-extending feed-box B, of the usualconstruction. On the main frame A is mounted to rotate in suitablebearings the main shaft O, extending in line with the box B, andprovided with a crank-arm, D, or other suitable means for imparting arotary motion to the said shaft 0. On the latter is secured aknife-wheel, E, carrying one, two, or more knives, F, secured by screwson the spokes of the wheel, and having their cutting-edges slightlycurved, as is plainly illustrated in Fig. 3. The knives F cut on thestationary knife G, preferably made of a U-shaped steel bar secured byits ends on the sides of the box B at its front end, the middle part ofthe knife G being let into the bottom of the box B, and the front edgeof the knife G extending slightly beyond the front end of the said boxB, as is plainly shown in Fig. 2. The top of the middle part of theknife G is flush with the bottom of the box B.

On the main driving-shaft O is secured, by

versely-extending shaft J, mounted to rotate in suitable bearings in themain frame A and passing beneath the feed-box B.

On the shaft J, inside of the feed-box B, is secured a roller, K, whichextends at its top through a suitable slot in the bottom of the box B,so that the top of the said roller is about flush with the bottom of thebox B.

Over the roller K passes an endless belt, L, the top of which rests onthe top surface of the bottom of the box B, and also passes over aroller, N, mounted to rotate in a suitable frame, 0, mounted to slidetransversely in suitable bearings formed in the rear end of the box B.The frame 0 is provided with bolts P, which extend through a cross-beamon the rear end of the box B, and on the outer threaded end of each boltP screws a winged nut, P, for adjusting the frame O longitudinally, soas to move the roller N forward or backward to hold the belt L in propertension.

On the shaft J, on the outside of the box B, is secured a gear-wheel, Q,which meshes into a gear-wheel, R, secured on the outer end of a shaft,S, mounted to rotate in suitable bearings in the box B, and extendingtransversely through the same directly above the shaft J. On the shaftS, inside of the box B, is secured a fluted roller, T, locateda suitabledistance above the belt L and serving to guide the straw or hay forward.In front of the fluted roller T is mounted to slide vertically a block,U, rounded off upwardly on its under side from the front to the rear, asis plainly shown in Fig. 2. The blockU extends transversely in the boxB, and is provided at each end with a guide, U, fitting into acorresponding groove, V, formed in a bracket, V, secured to the sides ofthe box B; or the said grooves V maybe formed directlyin the sides ofthe said box B at the inside. The guides U permit a free up-and-downmovement of the block U, so that the said block rests by its own weighton the straw or hay passing over the bottom of the box B.

In the rear of the fluted roller T, inside of the box B, is mounted torotate loosely the transversely-extending roller \V, somewhat larger indiameter than the fluted roller T. This roller serves to press thestraw, and at the same time to guide it under the fluted roller T.

The operation is as follows: The straw or hay to be cut is placed in theopen rear end of the box B, so as to rest on the top of the endlesstraveling belt L. The operator now rotates the main shaft 0 by thecrank-arm D, orother suitable means, in the direction of the arrow a, sothat the knives F pass at their cutting-edges over the front end of thestationary knife G, The rotary motion of the main shaft' 0 imparts, bythe gear-wheels H and I, motion to the transverse shaft J, which, by-itsroller K, causes the belt L to travel in the direction of the arrow 11,so that the straw or hay is fed forward under the roller W, which guidesit under the fluted roller T, which compresses it slightly, until thehay finally comes in contact with the rounded-off bottom of the block U,so that the latter is lifted and rests on top of the hay or straw by itsown weight. As the block U is made heavy, it compresses the hay, so thatwhen the hay finally passes over the stationary knife Gr it isheldfirmlyin place on the same for the knives F to cut the projecting part of thestraw Or ha It is understood that during the interval of two knives Fpassing successively over the stationary knife G a sufficient quantityof straw or hay has been fed out over the stationary knife G. Thisprojecting portion of the straw or hay is cut off by the next followin gknife. Thus it will be seen that the straw or'hay is firmly held inplace by the block U during the cutting, and is fed forwardautomatically by the belt L and the fluted roller T under the said blockU, as before described. When the operator desires to increase ordiminish the length of the out of the straw or hay, he changes thepinion H. accordinglythat is, he removes the pinion H from the shaft 0and replaces it by a smaller or larger pinion, and accordingly shiftsthe gear-wheel I on the shaft J by means of the set-screw. This increaseor diminution in diameter of the gearwheel H causes a faster or slowermotion of the roller K, so that the straw or hay is fed forward fasteror slower during the interval between twosucceeding knives passing overthe stationary knife G. Thus the straw or hay is accordingly increasedor diminished in the length of cut, as described.

. Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

shown and described.

JOHN TOPFER.

Vitnesses:

THEO. G. HOSTER, C. SEDGWICK.

